I recently presented at the TOPRA Careers Live event and my subject of choice was ‘Finding a Job in the Modern World.’ Whilst this was focussed mainly on a candidate’s journey, it got me thinking. Is there a way to cut through the daily BS to help ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS (both clients and candidates), to hire more effectively and deal with recruiters more efficiently.

Just a quick scroll through LinkedIn paints a disappointing picture. From candidates having terrible experiences, to clients publicly complaining to recruiters partaking in a ‘war of words’ to (ultimately) feed their own narcissistic desires, rather than positively impact the industry.

At ‘Careers Live’, I tried to reduce the large amount smoke and mirrors that agencies are using to attract, control and close candidates. Helping people understand the recruitment process from the agencies perspective leads to a higher awareness of the nuances that are experienced during a hiring process. In my opinion, that can only be a good thing. Communication with potential candidates and explaining the difficulties in sometimes getting feedback (for example), leads to a better relationship and a superior experience.

Let us consider the client. The CIPD article is spot on when listing the things that companies should be considering before engaging with agencies. For me, the quality of your supplier will rest almost entirely on your relationship. Through creating an environment where you have mutual respect, you enter a contract that should benefit both parties. The days of the ‘boiler room’ IT recruiter and the revolving door are disappearing. The antiquated processes and (lack of) values are almost entirely redundant. Bright, polite and not always right are the required attributes of a trainee recruiter in 2017. Bright and polite are a given. When I talk about ‘not always right’, I mean putting the candidate and clients’ interests before their own and having company values in line with this. With approximately 24,000 recruitment agencies in the UK competing for placements, the bar is being raised. It is no longer about who shouts the loudest or the most. It’s about who has the best relationships with the majority of their customers.

{

When measuring the cost of recruiting, and whether it is more cost effective to manage recruitment in-house or use an agency, it’s all too easy to get fixated on recruitment agency fees. As a result, the temptation could be to take all your recruitment function in-house and avoid those recruitment agency invoices.
But recruitment costs aren’t black and white; a protracted recruitment process costs money, as does a poor hire. These costs are intangible – you won’t see them on an invoice or balance sheet.
If you choose to use an agency – either in tandem with your own recruitment activities, or as a fully outsourced function – there are some simple steps to keep in mind to make sure you get the best value for money.